The Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) on the Pune-Ahmednagar Road has only been partially demolished by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), which has caused traffic congestion and accidents. At one accident-prone location, the PMC has installed signs and bollards, but more needs to be done.
Since the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) planned to remove the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) on the Pune-Ahmednagar (Nagar) Road from Parnakuti (Yerawada) to Viman Nagar Chowk, three months have passed, but the civic organization has only been able to remove the BRTS in part. As a result, this arterial road continues to experience traffic congestion and accidents.
Only the BRTS on this route from Parnakuti (Yerawada) to Gunjan Chowk and Ramwadi Octroi Post to Novotel Hotel (Wadgaon Sheri Chowk) have been demolished by the PMC since the announcement in June. The BRTS continues to cause accidents on other parts of this road, particularly close to Shastri Nagar Chowk, Chandrama Hotel, and Gunjan Chowk, where all ST buses and private luxury buses halt. In order to prevent accidents from happening, the Yerawada traffic police have written to the PMC requesting that at the very least reflectors be installed on the BRTS railing in the accident-prone regions. The PMC has succeeded in installing signage and bollards at Gunjan Chowk.
More than five accidents have happened at three different locations in the past month, according to police inspector Shailesh Shankhe of the Yerawada traffic branch. One of the risky locations where commuters strike the BRTS railing is Gunjan Chowk, in particular. So far, we’ve sent two letters. Finally, only at the Gunjan Chowk location has the PMC installed signage.
“The PMC had declared intentions to take down the BRTS along this line, but they have not done so. We are unable to appeal the PMC’s judgment, he stated.
The PMC road department’s Upendra Vaidya stated, “We have only taken down specific portions of the BRTS on Nagar Road where the road becomes congested and narrow due to the metro pillars and staircase. We installed signage and reflective plastic bollards at the Gunjan Talkies Chowk on Saturday. Along with removing some of the fence, we cleaned the road near the Gunjan Talkies Chowk. The same will be done at the other two accident-prone locations. The complete Nagar Road BRTS does not need to be taken apart.
“I have been a BRTS opponent since 2006 because the BRTS Global Concepts and Features are not being used,” stated Qaneez Sukhrani, convenor of the Association of Nagar Road Citizens’ Forum. The segregation for the BRTS occupies a significant amount of Nagar Road, which results in severe traffic congestion on the MV lanes. For better results, it would have been better if the BRTS from Parnakuti (Yerwada) to Viman Nagar Chowk had been totally destroyed after the PMC announcement.
Source- Hindustan times
Link- https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/pune-news/three-months-later-pmc-dismantles-ahmednagar-road-brts-in-parts-101694369216525.html
